KPF Proposes Ambitious Extension to 1970’s Tower in London

Southwark planners have recommended an ambitious proposal by international practice Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and engineer Adams Kara Taylor (AKT II) to add 11 floors to an existing 30-story tower in London. The “incredibly complicated” feat, which would be the world’s first of its kind, would extend Richard Seifert’s 1972 King’s Reach Tower on the South Bank by 44 meters, more than a third its original height.

According to BDOnline, developer CIT is financially motivated to execute KPF’s proposal due to the competition of future towers planned to rise around it. London residents are willing to pay a hefty premium for higher floors, thus the new addition to the Seifert tower, which has been rebranded as the South Bank Tower, will provide 173 high rise, luxury apartments. In addition to this, the developers can help make their case by claiming the project is more energy efficient then its original plan to demolish it.

KPF’s design and access statement said: “The applicant has studied the implications of these developments and the presence of the King’s Reach Tower in the emerging context and has concluded that a number of factors make a further extension to the tower not only viable but desirable from townscape and policy perspectives alike.”

If approved by Southwark Council on Tuesday, the 30-story building will rise to 155m.